So is this the most beautiful mood board ever created? Well, no, but I think that it will give you (and my husband) a good idea of what I’m scheming for our guest bathroom. I’m hoping to create a balance between traditional and modern by using timeless finishes mixed with modern metals and lines.

Now that I’m working in real estate, I’ve found that I tend to focus more on balancing design with cost and general appeal. I’m still planning on designing to my our taste but I’m far more hesitant now to pull the trigger on something that’s fairly trendy if it’s on the expensive side or if it’s hard to remove. While some might say that white subway tile is tired, I think that it’s so classic that it’ll never truly be out. Marble and hex shaped penny tiles are also fairly timeless so marrying both styles together for the flooring made total sense. The current bathroom hasn’t been really changed in almost 50 years so I’m hoping that the subway and marble tiles will last another 50 years.

One of the main things that I love about mood boards is that you get to see all your ideas together in one place, hopefully in a cohesive design. While I do like most of the finishes, I’m not quite sure about the mirror and the the paint color. The mirror is simple, but I think that it might be a little too simple and a little too traditional. The paint color is a deep beauty that mostly reminds me of beautiful deep jewel tones, but also kind of reminds me of the 80’s color palettes which doesn’t make me feel joyous.

So while I don’t normally love having semi-finished designs floating about, I’m hoping that one or two of you might chime in and let me know what you’re thinking. Anything you love or hate or would absolutely change?

I know that I’ve been a little MIA lately, but life has been busy around these parts lately and my other project has kept me glued to my computer. Besides working on Covered Style, I’ve also been having fun helping a friend with her house remodel. She has beautiful taste and her house is going to be gorgeous. I honestly can’t wait to show you all of the rooms that we’re designed and put together. Enter the chic femme bedroom and a whole house full of gorgeous rooms!

Unfortunately, the house is still very much under construction, like the flooring and cabinets aren’t installed yet, so I thought that I’d post some of the moodboards that I put together. My client wanted her bedroom to be modern, yet feminine so we’re balancing the crisp clean feel of the black and white look while still keeping it soft, light, and chic.

As a warning, this is not some gorgeous moodboard where everything is completely in place and proportionally correct- it’s just a general feel of the room. I promise that once we get everything set up and styled, I will post

Raise your hand if you still haven’t purchased a valentines gift for that special guy in your life. I know that I can’t see any of you but I’d like to imagine I’m not the only one with my hand in the air right now. When I’m feeling that desperation that certainly accompanies holiday gift procrastination, I like to turn to my happy place, which like most women in my demographic is Target. That magical place has saved my bacon more times than I can count.

So here’s a roundup of gift ideas that I’m sure nearly any man would like. They’re an easy win and won’t break the bank that’s probably still recovering from Christmas. And with your handy dandy RED card you don’t even have to pay for shipping!

I’m tempted to buy that stone cutting board for my husband but both he and I would know that it’d really be for me. No mistake. That shaving kit would be a clear gift for just him and would fancy up our bathroom vanity, which is never a bad thing.

Anyone else out there want to confess that they haven’t purchased anything for their S.O. yet? Bueller? Anyone?

So this weekend I had my casual and cozy housewarming party. I thought about taking pictures but I really wanted to be present so alas, you’ll just have to imagine how fabulous it was. Hint: not that fab, mostly just fun. Anyway, I needed to make some changes to my master bedroom before I let anyone see it because it looked like this:

Not the absolute worst picture you’ve ever seen but definitely sterile, boring, and outdated. It’s hard to tell in this photo but the walls were a matte purple which again, wasn’t completely awful but wasn’t good either. And the furniture and accessories just blended into the walls and got lost. So I decided to do something crazy and paint the walls slate. In a gloss. I don’t have any “during” pictures because I don’t wear camera appropriate clothes while painting and the Internet really doesn’t need to see THAT much of me. Plus, who knows if I’ll try to do something of merit one day or run for office and then *BAM* this post comes back to haunt me.

But back to the room, we (and I did get husband’s approval) bought the one-coat-can’t-change-your-mind paint from Behr and got to work. And now our room looks like this:

Here’s the same angle as the “before” picture:

And my little afternoon reading nook.

Doesn’t that just feel so much better??? I love going to bed now because it feels so intimate and cozy. By no means are we done, or even half way done with this room because we need to put more art on the walls, change out the ceiling fan, buy a more modern bed and end tables, and of course add about a million more pillows BUT even with that mile long list of changes, I feel like the room is finally at a place where I can stop and breathe and decorate more slowly and intentionally.

Now just because I’m taking my time doesn’t mean I haven’t been looking around. I’ve got to tell you that in my online and in-store wanderings, Nate Berkus’ line is killing it this season. Here’s a few things that I’ve had my eye on:

All of them are from his new line minus the bed (Ethan Allen) and they are fabulous and crazy inexpensive compared to similar finds. As you’ve probably already noticed, I already bought the throw and it’s wonderfully soft and less than $20. The throw or the marble ring holder would be great Christmas gifts because we’re only 8 weeks out. #Yikes!

So what are your thoughts on the new dark color? Fab or drab? And anyone else have a design crush on Nate Berkus?

Well, I think most of you have probably heard enough about Ireland for the next little while so I’ll cease with all things Emerald Isle for the time being, but if you have any questions about anything else trip-wise, send me a message. Thanks for all your sweet comments and I hope all of you who’ve asked about the trip get to make it out there! But until then, let’s talk about lighting.

You can ask my husband and he’ll verify that I have ‘small’ obsession with lighting. I also have a thing for marble so marble lamps are pretty much pure heaven to me. I’ve had my eyes on a few but haven’t broken down and purchased one and now I’m so glad I haven’t. I was strolling around Target today and came across their new beautiful marble lamp.

The lamp on the right is basically a third(!) of the price of the one on the left and their styles are so similar and classic. Now if only I could convince the husband that I need new marble lamps for the bedroom’s new paint…

It’s still above 90 degrees here in Austin but since I’m headed to Ireland in a week (I’m not even close to ready) I’m dreaming of brisk weather and falling leaves. There’s not a whole lot more autumn-y than plaid so I thought that I’d put together some of the cutest finds under $25. Even if it’s not cool enough to wear the sweaters yet, the plaid decor is enough to satisfy my craving.

In my non-blog life I run a marketing consulting company and we have been super busy which has put me a little behind on some (OK, a lot) of home projects so I’m going to have just salivate over other finished, beautiful spaces in the meantime. Blogger, SFgirlbybay posted a great home tour and I fell in love with this moody and beautiful bedroom.

It’s moody, dark, edgy and yet somehow, a little romantic. It’s a beautifully styled room that would have intimidated me in the past until I started breaking down designer rooms the room piece by piece. I love this room and would love to take pretty much every single piece but I’m not entirely sure that the husband would be OK with the neon sign.

So what are your favorite pieces? Would you put a neon sign in your bedroom? I’ve already convinced the husband that we should paint our room the glossy flint color, now to cajole him into agreeing to the swan print.

Living in Texas, Fall is a gorgeous and beautiful time but far too hot for sweaters, scarves, or even long sleeves. Right now I feel like so many outfit inspirations are gorgeous but not practical for all of us living south of the Maxon Dixon line so I thought that I’d put together a cute outfit that you won’t die in when you walk outside. Best part? The entire outfit is just over $100- including the Kate Spade necklace.

I just bought the dress and I think that I’m going to have to pick up the gold plated bracelet as well since it’s such a steal!

You guys, I am elbow deep in paint and feeling a little overwhelmed. Turns out that every single inch of the new house needs to be repainted. I’ll talk more about that later on, but for now, let me tell you that my days consist of working and painting and not a whole lot else.

In hopes to retain some of my sanity, I spent some time searching the Internet for pillows because pillows are a whole heck of a lot more fun than paint at this moment. We just bought new sofas and a new rug (so those will be coming with us) so I needed to find some fun, affordable (buying a house is expensive!), and not matchy-matchy pillows.

#8 (in the bottom left corner) is the color I’m currently slathering all over the walls downstairs. It’s a beautiful true neutral gray and I’m excited to show you what it looks like when I’m finished! But let’s get back to the pillows, shall we?

I’m thinking each sofa needs some white pillows (we already have some right now) but I’m really looking for a pop of gold and fun as well. I love #2 but I’m not sure that husband will go for the additional floral design. #1 is pretty but but might be a little too yellow so I’m thinking #3 might be our best bet. I thought that the dog pillow might be a fun little one too add since our little pup pretty much runs things around here.

So what do you think? Which gold pillow do you like the best? Also, did you see that insane price on the greek key pillow cover- it’s under $5. Insane. Speaking of insanity, it’s time for me to get back to the painting that is taking over my life. Check in tomorrow for updates on the lighting that came with the house.